To many, a large conspiracy involving unthinkable actions cannot happen. And if it could, the people involved would never get away with it, especially if they seem too incompetent to pull it off. But the 1919 Chicago Black Sox scandal is proof that this is not true.
In 1919, the World Series was the pre-eminent sporting event in the United States and baseball was America’s national pastime. It had produced legends like Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson, and Walter Johnson, with Babe Ruth just getting started. Only professional boxing, horseracing, college football, and the Olympics, provided any competition at all to baseball’s dominance in the sporting world. And the 1919 Chicago White Sox, champions of the American League, were viewed as a superteam, almost invincible, and certain to beat the Cincinnati Reds in the World Series. The White Sox had won the World Series in 1917 and 1918 was a war year. Now, in 1919 the mighty White Sox had the legendary outfielder Shoeless Joe Jackson, with a career .356 batting average. The White Sox led the league in batting average and runs scored. They had Hall-of-Famers at second base (Eddie Collins) and catcher (Ray Schalk). For star pitchers, they had Eddie Cicotte with a 29-7 win/loss record, Lefty Williams who went 23-11, and Hall-of-Famer Red Faber as well. Even the team’s owner, Charlie “Commie” Comiskey, is in the Hall-of-fame. They had above average players at all positions, including Buck Weaver at third base, a man who belongs in the baseball Hall of Fame, but isn’t, because he was smeared by this scandal.
Given all this, it was unthinkable that the White Sox would throw the Series to gamblers, but they did. Exactly three weeks before the Series began, first baseman Chick Gandil began his plan.
